I upgraded from my Pilots at 235 40 17 to the new Pilot Sports at 245 40 17
at all four corners. I have put quite a few miles on my set, and I
absolutely love them.

NOISE - the buggers are quite! They make much less noise than the old
Pilots over bumps, road "nipples", and don't have as much road noise in
general.

RIDE - They seem to actually soften the car a bit in this regard. Instead
of a loud "cracking" noise when the car encounters a sharp jolt, these tires
transmit more of a "whump" feel and noise.

HANDLING - Holy $#_at_&, Batman. These things stick like industrial 3M glue.
Long sweeping corners that I used to drift on, are now driftless. I cannot
believe how well these tires hold the road.

TURN IN - I am out to lunch here. I think my old Pilots had a little bit
more turn in response than these do. I think it might be that the 245 tire
is a touch taller than the 235, but that is merely a guess on my part. I
don't mean to infer, however, that these tires lack in this area. They
still perform like a dream.

WET HANDLING - See reference to Batman. With the old Pilots, the slogan
"Shark Bitten" was an ugly thing in the rain. The last thing an M3 needed
was Jim's extra power when in the rain. Now, however, I am no longer afraid
to drive the car in the wet. The difference felt to me nearly as great as
driving at the track with Pilots on the car, and then driving for the first
time with R1s. This is surely an exaggeration, but not much of one in my
opinion. Absolutely superb.

LOOKS - stunning. You will park your car with the wheels turned out just so
you can see the tread when you walk up to it.